The Relevance of Public Service Social Security Reform in the Context of Globalisation

Abstract

This article is devoted to examining the urgency of planning, organising, and implementing, in a phased and systematic manner, the reform of the mechanism for ensuring the social security of the civil service in Ukraine within the broader context of globalisation. It is argued that the necessity for such reform arises from a constellation of key factors. First, in view of the socio-legal nature of the civil service, it must be recognised that the increasing social risks generated by globalisation directly impact the capacity of civil servants to effectively discharge their official functions – particularly in areas relating to the safeguarding of the state’s social security. Secondly, the relevance of reform is substantiated by the intrinsic content of the official duties of civil servants, which are structurally linked to the overall level of social security within the state. Thirdly, reform is warranted by the growing significance of official and labour functions of civil servants within a transnational framework. Fourthly, there exists a pressing need to undertake reform in response to intensifying competition for highly qualified personnel between the state and alternative employers in the global labour market. Fifthly, the ongoing transformation of employment models and forms in the public sector (driven by globalization) necessitates a fundamental reassessment of existing approaches to the social security of public sector employees. Consequently, the author contends that reform of the social security framework of the civil service must be pursued as a comprehensive and systemic transformation of the mechanisms of social protection. Such transformation must be fully responsive to contemporary global risks and trends, and should encompass both normative-regulatory reform and the practical enhancement of institutional and organisational support for the functioning of the civil service. The objective of this reform must be to ensure the full and effective protection of the rights and legitimate interests of civil servants, to address existing regulatory lacunae, and to align the national social security system with international legal standards and the exigencies of a globalised world.